Bloodied St. Vincent PM hospitalized with head injury after rioter hurls rock amid chaotic protest against vaccine mandate — Damned Report
August 6, 2021
Friday August 6, 2021
COVID PASSPORTS
Bloodied St. Vincent PM hospitalized with head injury after rioter hurls rock amid chaotic protest against vaccine mandate
The prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines was hospitalized after he was struck in the head by a stone during a protest against a proposed vaccine mandate, with images online showing him bloodied by the injury.
By RT
Mass protests kick off in Paris after France’s constitutional court approves controversial Covid legislation
Reinvigorated mass protests kicked off in the French capital shortly after the country’s top court upheld controversial legislation which makes a coronavirus ‘health pass’ mandatory for the general public.
By RT
LOCKDOWNS
Australia’s Victoria state announces SIXTH lockdown just days after easing measures
State Premier Daniel Andrews has decided Australia’s Victoria is to enter its sixth lockdown just days after easing measures following a spike of new coronavirus cases.
By RT
VACKX
What’s wrong with vaccinating teenagers?
Neither vaccination nor Covid poses a serious risk to the young. So what is all the fuss about?
By Fraser Myers, Spiked
RUSSIA
Putin’s push for isolated internet will shift the Russian cyber landscape
The U.S. and NATO bloc must pay more attention to domestic Russian internet policy developments, a cyber researcher argues.
By Justin Sherman, C4ISRNET
US-CHINA-TAIWAN
China pledges ‘legitimate & necessary’ response after Biden’s first arms sale to Taiwan approved by State Department
Beijing has vowed to retaliate after the US State Department gave the green light to a $750 million arms sale to Taiwan – President Joe Biden’s first to the island – arguing the deal damaged bilateral ties and Chinese sovereignty.
By RT
BUILD BACK BETTER
New OPM Director Committed to 'Rebuilding' the HR Agency, Federal Workforce
Ahuja says she wants the agency to reassert itself in helping departments governmentwide become model 21st century employers.
By Erich Wagner, Next Gov
CISA Stands Up Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative
The effort includes partnerships with several major tech companies.
By Frank Konkel, Next Gov
Biden to Nominate former HUD Official to Lead Federal Procurement Office
If confirmed, Biniam Gebre would play a leading role in administering the administration’s ambitious management plans.
By Courtney Buble, Next Gov
FACIAL RECOGNITION
'Master Face': Researchers Say They've Found a Wildly Successful Bypass for Face Recognition Tech
A group of researchers says that artificial intelligence can be used to trick most biometric face scanners.
By Lucas Ropek, Gizmodo
UBER
Uber CEO Says Requiring Vaccines for Drivers and Riders Would be Fair, But Not Happening
Dara Khosrowshahi says companies shouldn't be able to issue vaccine mandates for hundreds of millions.
By Jody Serrano, Gizmodo
ITALY
Italy hikes 2021 defense spending, finds cash for Tempest
The 2021 budget includes 16.8 billion euros ($19.9bn) in defense ministry spending, up five per cent over 2020, which was in turn an increase on the previous year, putting an end to serious of annual falls.
By Tom Kington, Defense News
US-GREECE
US approves $270 million deal for Greek F-16 upkeep
The approved items include “engineering, technical and logistics support services” for the warplanes, in addition to training equipment, targeting upgrades and mission-planning enhancements.
By Sebastian Sprenger, Defense News
POLITICS
Rescuing the left from itself
Left-wing hobbyists and performative radicals are alienating working-class voters.
By David Swift, Spiked
PROMO
The Quest for Immortality
In this episode of The Small Print, Bronwyn speaks to the transhumanist Zoltan Istvan. They talk about his goal of ending ageing, and ultimately death; his 2016 presidential campaign and what it was like to advocate for transhumanism in the bible belt; the tension between individual and collective interests in the transhumanist movement; and why religion poses a major obstacle on the quest to cheat death.
By Bronwyn Williams & Zoltan Istvan
DOD
DoD pledges militarywide alignment on electromagnetic spectrum ops
The Department of Defense released its much anticipated plan to implement its electromagnetic spectrum operations superiority strategy, promising departmentwide coordination to buy needed technologies and align operations.
By Mark Pomerleau, C4ISRNET
BOEING
Boeing conducts first manned-unmanned teaming event with MQ-25 tanker
Boeing demonstrated its unmanned MQ-25 tanker could take commands from pilots midair and deviate from preplanned missions, in the first manned-unmanned teaming test for the drone.
By Megan Eckstein, Defense News
NEW ZEALAND-GOOGLE
New Zealand waived strict border controls for Google co-founder Larry Page after the billionaire’s child fell ill
Google co-founder Larry Page was allowed to travel to New Zealand after seeking medical treatment for his child, exempting him from rules that prohibit most non-residents from entry.
By RT
RADICALIZATION
New study further debunks “far-right” rabbit hole YouTube narrative
A new study helps debunk the myth of “radicalization” that’s often used to call for censorship.
By Christina Maas, Reclaim the Net
Facebook bans ad transparency researchers
Several researchers who looked into transparency around political advertising on Facebook – how the ads are targeted and by whom – have had their personal accounts banned on the platform.
By Didi Rankovic, Reclaim the Net
SPACE
New Zealand and LeoLabs sign multiyear deal for Space Regulatory platform
LeoLabs and the New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA) are working together to develop a cloud-based software platform for monitoring space activity.
By Debra Werner, Space News
Planet and SpaceX announce multiyear launch agreement
Planet announced a multiyear agreement Aug. 5 that designates SpaceX as the Earth-observation company’s “go-to-launch provider through the end of 2025.”
By Debra Werner, Space News
China’s space station emerges as competitor to commercial ventures
Companies involved with commercial activities on the International Space Station or planning their own space stations may face a new competitor in China’s new space station.
By Jeff Foust, Space News
Australia’s first space accelerator to showcase startups amid expansion plans
Moonshot, Australia’s first space-focused accelerator, is showcasing five startups Aug. 6 to international investors as it prepares to raise its next fund.
By Jason Rainbow, Space News
US NAVY-AI
US Naval Engineers Develop AI Aid for High-Energy Laser Fire Control
US naval engineers have developed an artificial intelligence-based decision aid to assist sailors in operating laser weapons.
By Inder Singh Bisht, Defense Post
US-GEORGIA
US Approves Javelin Missile Sale to Georgia in Deal Worth $30 Million
The US State Department has approved the sale of 82 anti-tank Javelin FGM-148 missiles to Georgia in a $30 million deal
By Hercules Reyes, Defense Post
CYBERATTACKS
Senate Committee Finds Federal Agencies Unprepared for Cyberattacks
A recent Senate audit revealed that at least eight federal agencies have failed in cybersecurity.
By Hercules Reyes, Defense Post
NIST Updates Cyber Resiliency Guide to Account for Increasingly Sophisticated Threats
Public feedback on the more than 200-page document will be considered in the near future.
By Brandi Vincent, Next Gov
US-UNIONS
Biden Wants Extra Incentive For Union-Built Electric Cars—Which Would Exclude Teslas
Biden’s plan to accelerate electric vehicle sales to 50% of all new autos sold by 2030 could include more generous customer incentives of as much as $12,500. But those made by Tesla, the biggest seller of battery-powered cars, wouldn’t qualify for that maximum amount.
By Alan Ohnsman, Forbes Staff